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Bell Witch
The , also known as Ol' Kate Batts, was the name given to a poltergeist-like entity that, according to folk legends, terrorized the Bell family of Adams, Tennessee for a period of several years. While considered by most in the present day to be a mere urban (or rural, as the case may be) legend, it is notable for being one of the most elaborate and varied ghost tales in American history. The hauntings reportedly started sometime in 1817 when Bell family patriarch John Bell encountered a dog-like creature with the head of the rabbit in a cornfield. Although he shot at the creature, it avoided his bullets and fled. After that incident, the family began reporting hearing a wide variety of strange noises ranging from suckling noises and loud slams to sing-song gibberish and scurrying inside the walls. The Bell children would allegedly report hearing and seeing invisible rats gnawing at their furniture, leaving visible bite marks before their very eyes. The ghost would slap them in the face, yank the blankets off of their bodies as they lay in bed, and pull their hair.http://www.bellwitch.org/story.htm Eventually, the disembodied spirit learned to speak fluent English in an audible voice and would allegedly carry out lengthy conversations with the family, sing hymns, and quote sermons that were happening at the local churches. Eventual President and then-Major General Andrew Jackson vowed to investigate the house with several of his men, but his men were terrorized and abused by the spirit. The spirit eventually came to respond to the name of Kate Batts. It was rumored that she was a neighbor of Bell's who was scorned by him in some way and used witchcraft to haunt him after her death. True to this, she displayed nothing but open hostility toward John Bell and boasted about how she'd kill him one day. In addition to her goal of killing John, the witch also reportedly vowed to prevent young Betsy Bell from marrying her boyfriend Joshua Gardner. For the next several years, John and Betsy would be tormented by the witch through violent and sadistic means. Shockingly, other members of the family were often met with kindness or at least light teasing from Ol' Kate Batts. The Bell Witch eventually bid the family farewell in 1820, when John Bell died in his sleep. According to the legends, the witch boasted that she had used a strange black liquid in the cabinet to poison him. However, the witch promised to return in seven years to visit the next generation of the Bells, prompting Besty to call off her engagement to Gardner.https://www.bellwitchcave.com/ghost_hauntings/bell_witch_legend.htm While that is the end of the Bell family's story for the most part, there have been several other isolated reports of paranormal activity in the general area of the Bell farm. Some of the reports have involved a cave located on the Bell farm which has come to be known as "Bell Witch Cave". Phenomena reported in the cave generally involve explained noises or bruises, but one strange incident allegedly occurred sometime in the late 1960s. The witness, gas station owner H. C. Sanders reportedly lost gas near the Red River, a river running by Bell Witch Cave. While walking towards town, he noticed that a rabbit-like animal appeared to be following him. Unnerved, Sanders picked up the pace but the rabbit kept up with him. Eventually, he sat down on a log to catch his breath, only for the rabbit to sit next to him on the log, look at him, and say "Hell of a race we had there, wasn't it?"https://www.newspapers.com/clip/9298698/clarionledger/ Of course, no evidence to support such a claim was ever offered. *'Eyewitness Testimony:' Each member of the Bell family reported experiencing a wide variety of paranormal phenomena, but as these stories are from over a century ago, their validity is questionable due to the lack of supporting evidence. Betsy Bell maintained the truth of her family's experiences up until her death. *'Folk Legend:' Today, most people consider the story to have been nothing but a folk tale that grew out of control. *'Hoax:' Some who knew Betsy during her life suspected that she had been perpetrating the attacks as a hoax, with some of the more extravagant incidents being entirely fictional. *In 2004, director Ric White released a film based on the legend, Bell Witch Haunting. *Another film debuted in 2007 titled Bell Witch: The Movie, directed by Shane Marr. *Director Glenn Miller released a found-footage film titled The Bell Witch Haunting in 2013. *Author Brent Monahan published a novel about the legend in 1997 titled The Bell Witch: An American Haunting. This book was the inspiration for the 2005 horror film An American Haunting. *There is a doom metal band based in Seattle called "Bell Witch". *In 1964, American singer-songwriter Merle Kilgore released a song titled "The Bell Witch". *50 years later, in 2014, American folk singer Madeline released a song called "The Legend of the Bell Witch". BellWitch.png|The Bell farmhouse Category:All entries Category:Hauntings Category:United States Category:Tennessee Category:Debunked